Fort Bidwell in Modoc County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Applegate Trail - Fandango Pass Ascent

— California Trail —

Photographed by Alvis Hendley, October 18, 2016

1. Applegate Trail - Fandango Pass Ascent Marker

Inscription. "We arrived at the foot of the summit ridge, the top of which lay one mile distant ... Up we ascended, slowly but surely, by the toilsome climbing of the teams and by lifting of the members. ... at the wheels." - William Swain, Oct 11, 1849

Erected 2009 by Trails West, Inc. (Marker Number A-28A.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Applegate Trail, the California Trail, and the Trails West Inc. series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is October 11, 1849.

Location. 41° 47.819′ N, 120° 12.076′ W. Marker is in Fort Bidwell, California, in Modoc County. It is on Fandango Pass Road (County Route 9) 2½ miles north of Surprise Valley Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Bidwell CA 96112, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on California’s Modoc Plateau

and in the Shasta Cascade.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Applegate-Lassen Trail (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Applegate Trail (approx. 0.4 miles away); Applegate Trail - Fandango Pass Descent (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fort Bidwell Military Post (approx. 4.9 miles away); Applegate Trail - Through the Forest

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(approx. 5.7 miles away); Applegate Trail - Descent to Lassen Creek (approx. 7.3 miles away); Applegate Trail - Descent to Goose Lake (approx. 8.7 miles away); Applegate Trail - New Road to Yreka (approx. 10 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Bidwell.

Photographed by Alvis Hendley, October 10, 2016

2. Applegate Trail - Fandango Pass Ascent Marker

Photographed by Alvis Hendley, October 18, 2016

3. Applegate Trail - Fandango Pass Ascent Marker

The marker is just uphill from the Modoc National Forest sign. Our pickup truck is parked in a pull-off across the road.

Fandango Pass Road Looking East Toward Nevada image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Alvis Hendley, October 18, 2016

4. Fandango Pass Road Looking East Toward Nevada

The Warner Mountains are in the foreground. The mountains in the background are in Nevada at the western boundary of the Basin and Range Province.

The Applegate Trail passes through Black Rock Desert where Burning Man encamps each September to the Applegate Trail origin near Rabbithole Springs, Nevada, where the the Lassen-Applegate Cutoff branched north from the California Trail.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2020, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. This page has been viewed 604 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on March 31, 2020, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 28, 2020, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. 3, 4. submitted on April 10, 2020, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.